A NOVEL TAKING A LOOK AT THE AMERICAN MIDWEST'S DARKSIDE
Torie Rivera, Contributor
From the first to last word, Donald Ray Pollock’s The Devil All The Time is an intense journey through the back roads of Midwest America. Pollock has revived American fiction with his follow up to his literary debut Knockemstiff.
Within 261 pages the reader is taken into a world that has been unseen by many. Spanning from the late ’40s to the ’60s in and around southern Ohio and West Virginia, the story follows a cast of intriguing characters: Arvin Russell, the son of WWII veteran Willard and cancer stricken Charlotte; Roy the preacher and his fellow bible toting crippled partner Theodore; Carl and Sandy Henderson, who’s horrific hobbies make Bonnie and Clyde seem like Saturday morning cartoons. As the story unfolds, the lives of these misfits become intertwined by deviant sexual acts, old fashion American violence, and, of course, religion.
Starting out in Meade, Ohio, the tale begins as Willard Russell returns from WWII, and falls in love with Charlotte. Years later, after their child Arvin is born, Charlotte learns she has cancer. As her illness swiftly worsens, Willard begins to conduct animal sacrifices upon his “prayer log.” He is not alone in these acts as he begins to include his son in his deathly rituals to help save his wife’s soul. But, what is most shocking are the lengths in which Willard will go to save her soul. Meanwhile in West Virginia, Roy and Theodore travel around spreading the word of the Lord. Roy is an eccentric man that captivates his audiences by bizarre acts such as covering himself with spiders as he preaches; all the while, Theodore provides the soundtrack from the comfort of his wheel chair, soulfully strumming his guitar.
As time passes and the turmoil of the civil rights movement nears Carl and Sandy Henderson, they begin planning and executing many ‘vacations.’ These trips consist of traveling the highways searching for young hitchhiking men. The couple entices the men by offering money to engage in sexual acts with Sandy as Carl takes photographs, not knowing that their life will soon end.
Having grown up in southern Ohio himself, Pollock beautifully represents the dialogue of the characters and the various settings—qualities that make the story stand out and shine. The small towns and Hollers throughout the story are like lost or hidden worlds, akin to Atlantis or the Emerald City.
The Devil All The Time is a unique and thrilling story peering into heart of America, exposing all of the dark recesses of the Midwest that have been left alone and forgotten. Pollock definitely struck fiction gold with this novel.
